Angela Burns: First Minister, in the light of recent financial difficulties encountered by Tidal Energy Ltd in west Wales, a company seemingly leading the way in marine energy extraction, what reassurances can you provide that other marine energy projects backed by public money deliver on their objectives, and what plans have your Government got in place to ensure that the skills and knowledge so far...
Angela Burns: 7. Will the First Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government's plans to support renewable energy production during the fifth Assembly? OAQ(5)0232(FM)
Angela Burns: Will the Minister explain why Main Port Engineering in Pembrokeshire went into administration despite having received a £650,000 grant from the Welsh Government?EAQ(5)0058(EI)
Angela Burns: Thank you for that. Because, of course, not taking forward the Williams commission recommendations has meant now that we need to seek to see that local authorities do collaborate more, I wonder whether you could just give us a little bit more information about the discussions you’ve had with local authorities or with the WLGA. Have you put a timescale on being able to see some tangible...
Angela Burns: Cabinet Secretary, statistics out last week show that capital expenditure on social services has fallen by 45 per cent in the last year from £22 million in 2014-15 to £12.6 million in the last financial year—the greatest fall of all local government capital expenditure. Revenue spend has also fallen by 0.4 per cent. In light of this reduction in funding, would you please provide clarity...
Angela Burns: 1. Will the Minister make a statement on recent local authority capital expenditure? OAQ(5)0042(FLG)
Angela Burns: 7. What assessment has the Minister made of the impact of proposed local government reform on the delivery of public services? OAQ(5)0041(FLG)
Angela Burns: Leader of the house, may I ask for a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for health and social services into how the Welsh Government can support Wales’s biggest medical school in light of its recent 20-place fall in ‘The Complete University Guide’, and the impact that this could have on Welsh Government’s manifesto commitment to deliver more doctors training in Wales? And I would...
Angela Burns: Thank you for that, First Minister. I wonder when you might expect to see the main policy thrusts of any new legislation that is passed during the fifth Assembly being implemented. How long would you expect it to take from Royal Assent to a policy, through statute, being implemented and being delivered on the ground? The background to this, of course, is the autism debate last week, when much...
Angela Burns: 2. Will the First Minister provide an update on the legislative programme for the fifth Assembly? OAQ(5)0215(FM)
Angela Burns: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Minister, we’re always waiting. More importantly, these people are always waiting. Nobody ever comes and sits in this Chamber at this time of night and listens to us talk about anything. But these people have, because it really is up close and personal for them. And the reason why we brought this motion today was we thought this was like a little nudge,...
Angela Burns: Would you take an intervention?
Angela Burns: I do appreciate you taking the intervention. I would like to make the point that a person with additional learning needs may well improve throughout their life, and end up leaving school without having that need. A person with autism has a condition that is highly unlikely to change, which is why they need an Act that will look at them from zero to end.
Angela Burns: Thank you very much. Thank you for taking the intervention. I’d be very happy to supply you with a copy of a proposed draft autism Bill, and the reason we’ve brought this forward today is because, until today, we were of the belief that most of the people in this Chamber supported such an Act, so today is becoming a bit of a wake-up call, for not just this party, but a great many other people.
Angela Burns: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I’d like to thank Plaid Cymru for bringing forward this debate today. The issues that you raise in your motion have been touched upon quite a lot, actually, in the Assembly in the past few weeks. But I think, like you, that it is very important to focus upon the stigma that is attached to mental health conditions, as this can affect a person for the rest...
Angela Burns: Cabinet Secretary, I wondered how confident you are of the monitoring system that looks at the change of ownership in nurseries because, of course, a business can easily be sold to another business or individual who may not have the appropriate skills and understanding or even the appropriate checks in place, and, even if it is a hands-off transfer, I still think we need to be reassured that...
Angela Burns: Minister, in regard to the proposals for a nitrate-vulnerable zone along the sweep of the Cleddau and above Pendine, I’ve got great concerns because, both of those areas, you only have one direction of travel—back inland. Have you given any consideration, or what efforts have your officers done to ensure or to review the potential damage that could occur to land that is just outside of...
Angela Burns: I beg your pardon, Presiding Officer, but not west of Pembrokeshire. [Laughter.]
Angela Burns: Minister, thank you very much for your statement today. I think that your response and the response from Valero have been entirely reasonable, given the circumstances—no-one wanted this to happen, no-one expected it to happen, and it is very, very unfortunate, to say the least. I think that Adam Price raised some excellent points in the comments and I’d like to actually align myself with...
Angela Burns: Minister, thank you for the statement today and for publishing the delivery plan yesterday on World Mental Health Day. I have a number of questions I just want to ask you about this. Going back to a question I asked the First Minister, in your statement, in the area where you have your three bullet points, you talk about emphasising the areas that are important to us and you particularly talk...
